Rob Kalin: the founder of etsy

This 29-year-old is the founder of Etsy.com - a private business now valued at about $100 million. Talk about following through when you have a good idea. Now, if only I could think of something as great as Etsy...

Q. 'Keep it human' is one of your rallying cries, what does that mean?
A. It means growing big, while staying small. Etsy itself is hundreds of thousands of very small businesses and I want to be able to keep that intimacy within our own company, even as we grow and the number of people we need to support grows. It means always keeping a human face on what we're doing. I don't want to hide behind a corporate firewall and start speaking with some third-person voice. I want to always speak with a human voice.

Q. What advice do you have for entrepreneurs?
A. Make sure that you stay directly involved, even as things get bigger. If you're disconnected from the real work that's being done, it's easy to be impatient. So really get down in the trenches. Be ready to do a hundred different things really well, and in a short period of time.

Q. How do you do that and stay sane?
Part of staying sane is enjoying it. It's kind of like the conductor of an orchestra, listening to lots of different instruments, taking in the feedback and making adjustments. It's not passive though, because part of being a successful entrepreneur is being an inspiring leader. You have to get up in front of people, set the vision and inspire them to give it their best.

Read more of the WSJ article here.

Life Lesson: Always Follow Through

"You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through."  - Rosalyn Carter 

So often ideas spin around in my head, but I have such a hard time actually being brave enough to catch them, study them and complete them. I never hold the ideas still long enough to fully grasp them and form a plan of action to see them through. So I continue walking around with this sort of falling star supernova zooming around and bouncing off the corners of my head. If only I had a net. 

I found this interview of Elsie Flannigan to be particularly inspiring. I made a list of ideas and I will start by crossing off at least one of them each week (baby steps).

photo of Elsie from A Beautiful Mess

Simple Ideas.

 

I have been on the hunt for an affordable tray 

to use to protect the glass coffee table in the living room. 

I try to eat at the dinner table as often as 

possible, but sometimes there is nothing like 

dinner and DVR..

Here is a great idea for a DIY tray...

Take a frame (of any size, depending on the size you want your tray)

Place cute fabric or wrapping paper under the glass and

waaalahh...unique and customized tray.